Oh HELLO KITTY! So....here's the Panini Maker story! Doesn't everybody have at least ONE!? We know about my war on my basement. Well, one year for my birthday...I got a Hello Kitty Panini Maker! AND I LOVED IT! I love HK...who doesn't! Well, the gift was appropriate, and I was grateful. That's all. So then, it sat in my basement...you know, for my "someday", when I had a house, when I actually cooked, when I had kids to make them for! I'm over all that...if/when it happens? I'll re-buy it eBay! Anyway, so I finally decided to put it up on ebay. I couldn't find them anywhere online...to steal facts from or get an idea of price. Waffle Makers, Toasters, etc....Panini Makers!? NONE! So...I put it up...make up a description...and voila. Well...I start it at $18...and immediately I have like 15 people watching it and emails...from FRANCE! SO...then...2 days later, I get a letter from-drumroll please-SANRIO THEMSELVES! The company that birthday Hello Kitty 35 years ago...wants my panini maker! NOW! For her BIRTHDAY PARTY in LA! So she wants to "buy it now"....WOW I say, am flattered, and then ask how much. She says $50. I, hem, haw, and then I get home to write her back, and well, someone bid on it already. I always feel bad if someone has already bid. So I tell her so....and she's sad, but will try to bid for it. So that night, I'm talking to my family, and secretly I am hoping for more than $50, because there are 15 people watching it!? So my family/friends say....sell it to Sanrio! How cool would it be for your Panini Maker to help celebrate HK's birthday! So...I knew they were right....and that night...after they all left!? I unposted it from eBay and sold it to Sanrio! She was STOKED that I did! AND? All that...and she ended up paying me $60 AND paid for shipping, AND?!!!!!! SENT ME A GOODY PACKAGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GLORIOUS GOODY PACKAGE!!!! I love Kerokerokeroppi, and she sent me a bag, notebook, keychain, and pen with him, then a bunch of pens with Hello Kitty on it, a shirt, and a HOODY! I'm sure this box was worth WAY MORE in product than that Panini Maker ever was! WHAT A BLESSING!!!!! WHAT A BLESSING! So it was awesome awesome! And my Panini Maker was involved in celebrating Hello Kitty! WHAT FUN! So...I love eBay, not just for the part where I empty my basement, or where I get paid, but for GEMS like that! VIVA the panini maker!!!

Tears.

So...it's nights like tonight that I wonder how people without Jesus make it through. I mean where do you find your hope!? What do you hold onto when things hurt? Why bother when things really suck? I mean are you really okay with this world if things were up to "chance". HOPING you make it through another day!? We actually just spoke about God's Providence on Wednesday night, but my heart just hurts for my Hollie. Her sister Heidi, went to be with the Lord this week...it's sad. She has 2 kids, she was only 38, and she was great. And Hollie, has to be the strong one. The thing is too? People say "she's in a better place"....you know what? SHE IS! And she is because of her belief and relationship with God. Someone wrote on facebook that she'll be with her folks in heaven...except? That her father wasn't a christian...so he's not there. My point of that is!? If you aren't a christian....you don't go to heaven. That's it. That's all. It's that simple. So if you believe you go to heaven when you die?! Be sure. Know. NOT EVERYBODY WILL! Funerals...for believers...hurt, but are celebrations-knowing they are with their Lord and Savior. Funerals for unbelievers, are the saddest most helpless things in the world. My friend Nate's mom passed away this week....more sadness...but she was SUCH a woman of the Lord....and they are calling it a graduation to heaven service, and it's true...so we miss her here, but she's dancin' with Heidi, Hollie's sister up in heaven. My hearts heavy with the loss, but I know they are in a better place. I KNOW THAT. If you do NOT know Him, Jesus...you are NOT going to heaven. There IS a hell, it IS eternal...and you'll stay there. Even if you are "good". It's about the relationship with Jesus Christ. It's about your belief in Him, and acceptance of Him in your heart....and that's it. You can't be "good" enough. We're sinners, every single one of us. We must trust Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and receive Him by personal invitation.

The Bible says...

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12

"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

Where are you?
1.Admit your need (I am a sinner).
2.Be willing to turn from your sins (repent).
3.Believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the Cross and rose from the grave.
4.Through prayer, invite Jesus Christ to come in and control your life through the Holy Spirit. (Receive Him as Lord and Savior.)

How to Pray:

Dear Lord Jesus,

I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as Lord and Savior.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Step 4 God's Assurance: His Word

If you prayed this prayer,

The Bible says...

"Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Romans 10:13

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast." Ephesians 2:8,9

Step 4"He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life." 1 John 5:12-13

Receiving Christ, we are born into God's family through the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. This is called regeneration, or the "new birth."

This is just the beginning of a wonderful new life in Christ. To deepen this relationship you should:

1. Read your Bible everyday to know Christ better.
2. Talk to God in prayer every day.
3. Tell others about Christ.
4. Worship, fellowship, and serve with other Christians in a church where Christ is preached.
5. As Christ's representative in a needy world, demonstrate your new life by your love and concern for others.

It's not a simple life, being His...but it's certainly full of Hope and Grace, and knowing that EVERY single thing is for a reason and His Providence, and that NOTHING is left to "chance"...I mean it's ENCOURAGING! It's worth living for. He died so that we might have life, and life more abundantly. He made us in HIS likeness, we're HIS. It's heavy on my heart, being in trials and not knowing Him. So I pray that you as a reader, are blessed, encouraged, something, with this, and I hope and pray that you choose Him, as your life. He chose to give you life. And you as a believer...be encouraged that Christ has a perfect plan, even when there are lots of tears and terrible situations. He loves us, we need to trust and obey. And feel free to email me, I'm no expert but I'll pray with and help all I can. God is faithful. The picture is Hollie and I in July. Pray for her, Heidi's kids, and Heidi's husband.

So...maybe you know...and maybe you don't...but I've declared war on my basement...it's STAGGERING the amount of CRAP I have down there...and NO NEED! It's not like I have a house! Or like I have kids I'm saving it for....argh...if only I'd met me now...THEN! Oh well....so...eBAY! Oh the joys. Sure...it's a lot of work, it's a little annoying, packing packages is a CHORE...but for a little extra cash, SCORES more than a garage sale, and in the name of "making cleaning fun"....I'm selling. Anything and everything. I LOVE what people will buy! It's CRAZY! And then of course...I buy too...but not NEARLY what I could be buying....that's got to count for something right!? Well, at any rate...I research a little on somethings, you know accurate description, pricing, RECALLS! RECALLS!? Yeah...so I listed my "Mini Lite Brite Keychain" tonight, and it said to check the Consumer Safety website...which, incidentally....is STILL loading, as I type this. So I gave up, I mean I already warned people not to eat the pieces or let their little ones eat the pieces, what more can I do!? BUT, in researching this....I found this write up about old school lite brites-which I still have, and will be eBaying shortly-though not a high value item....and not that any of my items are, but I'm just sayin'. I found this blog "stuff that was cool" and this cats write up about the lite brite was HYSTERICAL...and the Larry King part was great, AND? He made me want the lite brite with 4 sides and BATTERY POWERED! OOOOOoooh! Things like this...make me want kids...a little. Anyway, I remember the Christmas when Curtis and I got our lite brite, we were in Montana...and laying on the floor...I feel like we played with it all day...you'd have to ask mom and dad if that were true. Good times. And it was like cheating if you turned the light on before you were done matching every single light to every single dot or x or whatever! GOOD TIMES! Well...I had hopes and dreams of being in bed before 3 tonight...looks like it might actually be before 1! So...in closing...here's a picture of my lite brite keychain that is being sold on eBay right now.....bid bid bid!

Terrible...

I'm absolutely terrible at keeping this up, I have great ambitions, but alas....to no avail. BLAH! So...here I am...plugging along. I just got back from 3 weeks in Cali....2 tours, and some chill time with the Swaynes, which was great, really great. So now I'm home, it's fall, and I've officially declared war on my basement. EBAY for all! So hopefully, I'll fight a good fight, and eventually, own nothing but what I might need. I'm over the "somedays"...as who knows what will happen, and if I haven't used it in like 7 years...chances are slim I will ever use it! All this is ramblings, my body is still jacked on west coast time, AND I took a nap today! Viva the freezing fall! So for warm feelings...I leave you with this gorgeous rose that I found at V. Sattui, a winery in St. Helena, California. It may very well make the 2010 calendar. We'll see. And? For some tour guide trivia!? Do you know why there are often rose bushes around the vineyards!? They predict disease, and bugs, and all that. So they are the canary of the grape world! Cool right!?

"Slumdog Millionaire"

If you haven't seen it yet?  GO!  If you have seen it?  Go again.  Really great movie...for once, the Academy got it right!  And?  If you really know me?  Get practicing your dance to "Jai Ho"...we're breaking it out at my wedding (no, no date yet)!  JAI HO!

The "Ted Danson" story.

A blessing for the 5th of January! So...we're in the LA airport...and I went off in search of Cinnabon...which was RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER...and I was off, who knows where. I come back and my mom says that she's pretty sure she just saw Ted Danson....he looked older...but she was sure it was him. I say that's cool, and it's about time....we'd been in LA for over a week and I'd spent a day in Hollywood, and NO encounters! So, we go to get on our flight...and I'm over trying to get our seats, and we go to get on the plan and mom says.....Ted is ON our flight! Ahh...COOL! So now I'll be looking for him! We board...and there he is....his hair is straight white...and his head is down...bummer. Well, in boarding...we naturally stop...I happen to stop next to him...he's reading the Amazon Kindle (an electronic book-for those of you that aren't up on it...) and so I say to him...."do you like that better than the Sony Reader?" He looks up...and says...it was a gift...what's the Sony Reader? I say it's the same thing practically...just a little thinner. He says oh, well, I don't know anything about it, but I kind of miss the pages....I say yeah...he then says, but it's great for the plane, I say that's true, and then he says...but best of all? It was free! We laugh, I pat him on the knee/shoulder (can't remember) and I say, well, enjoy the rest of your book! He says thanks...goes back to reading. My mom, laughing, can't believe I just started a conversation with Ted Danson. I HAD TO! Especially since we didn't get to take a picture together! So, not that many people noticed him, but there was a couple in front of me that saw him too. And get this....THEY SHOWED AN EPISODE OF "CHEERS" ON THE FLIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who does that! lol. When it came on...I looked around...and really...nobody noticed! Except that one couple. What a hoot. Anyway, he was super nice, and nowhere to be found afterwards....oh well, I still have time for my 2009 Celebrity Photo! Keep your cameras handy folks!!

Blessings....

I just wonder why we aren't more thankful...on a daily basis. It's already January 12....where time goes....we'll never know. But, as the world, I want to start out the new year being the person I should be...the person God wants me to be. I'm not. I wanted to blog a blessing daily. I haven't. I might still...but we'll see. Today? Of course there are many, unseen, unspoken, not realized...and this isn't all inclusive...(I like to give a disclaimer....simply because it's funny...the only person that would care about the disclaimer IS God..and I'm pretty sure He knows! lol) Anyway, today...on top of sleeping in, being warm, having receipts for items returned? I won tickets to see David Letterman on Wednesday! I forgot that I had signed up....maybe I was still in Cali? Or right after I got back? Anyway, I filled out two dates in January that we could run up there...and one in February....and tonight? I'm cleaning out my closet....sort of...and my phone rings...a 212 number...and I almost let it go to voice mail...but since I'm job hunting? I picked it up. It was "JACK"...from the Letterman show! I was JAZZED! So he's going through when and all that...and then I have to answer a question...so I make him talk to Gayle...she's better suited, and essentially IN LOVE with Dave. So the question? What color are Dave's cards that he reads the "Top Ten" from. PLEASE! I knew that answer! So, of course...mom got it right...duh....and so we'll be at Letterman on Wednesday! YAY! God is just cool like that...He loves us anyway, we don't deserve it....that's why it's called "GRACE". So...that's my blessing for today. Last Thursday? I was in DC....Wednesday night I went down to see Edwin McCain with my friend Jen, who turned 30, and he was amazing! So Thursday I was a tourist....doing a little research for upcoming tours in DC....anyway....I go to the Washington Monument, since I've never been up it....can you believe it? Anyway, well, on the way up...I practically break my leg on some ice, blessing that I didn't....and so I get my tickets...and it was FREEZING? But hardly any line! Ahhhh! If only I could preserve the NO-LINE for tour season! Anyway, I'm in line...and I literally....walk IN the building? And it starts SNOWING LIKE CRAZY!!!! Like out of NOWHERE! Insane...so I'm initially grateful for being inside at that time...and then wondering if the rest of my day is going to be spent in SNOW...because I chose not to wear my fabulous uggs. Anyway, I go up....take some pictures, snowy pictures, fight off some pushy children (side story? There were like 18 of them...maybe age 7 or 8? And one of them...I just got to the window to look out? PUSHES ME! In my head...ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? I'm A PERSON! I realize that a child gets priority? BUT YOU DON'T PUSH! So I look at him, and I said, "you need to be patient and wait your turn"....he looks up at me...and says "I'm sorry"....so he gets points for apologizing? But he TOTALLY knew he shouldn't have pushed! Anyway, those kids....lol) So then...I look out the other side? And I SEE the snow storm moving over the capitol building and away! I get down and outside? It's just as sunny as I left it, and nobody even really knew it snowed! So ....blessing that God kept me in the monument during the 10 minute freak blizzard! He's just good like that! May your days be filled with blessings...and may you remember them!